The musings, rants, and dissertations of 3 retired military guys and 1 chick. Two Air Force, two Navy. Old AF Sarge, Juvat, Tuna, & LUSH.

Saturday, December 13, 2014

The Game

Indeed, it is that time of year, the only college football game I care about.I'm not sure when I started following this game as I do now. Probably when The Naviguesser went off to college where he donned the uniform of an NROTC Midshipman.Now with two daughters and a son-in-law still on active duty, and The Sea Lawyer still in the Reserves, all proudly representing the U. S. Navy, my love of this particular event has grown.But Sarge, you might ask, did any of them go the the Trade School on the Severn?

Why yes, yes one did. The Sea Lawyer is a proud alumnus of Annapolis.

So, with all due respect to my Army brethren and colleagues (a good buddy of mine from high school went to West Point, as did one of The Nuke's high school classmates) I just have to say...

My impossibly young cousin Brian is a third class middie, the first of the tribe to attend the modern iteration of the Philly Naval Asylum. His mom and dad have been utterly transformed by the experience. So it's a local force for good, too. As for the game, we've all chuckled at the image below. Which was taken in 1996. When Army chalked up a fifth-consecutive win. "Not the victory but the action; Not the goal but the game; In the deed the glory."

My Dad, having served on the USS Mindoro, always rooted for Navy. And I, as his son, do the same. Definitely one of the more enjoyable sporting events, of any kind, during the entire year, without fail.

And FWIW, LSU coach Paul Deitzel (a WW II USAAF pilot) of our '58 National Championship squad left LSU in 61 (a year before I got there) for the head coaching job at WP (62-65) where he had been a grad assist previously.

Oh, and to further extend the Army connection, LSU's first President was Gen W. T. Sherman, and its President while I attended there was one of Pattons generals, Troy H. Middleton (whose signature appears on my diploma)